[Soupy]

houses prices

House prices have DOUBLED round here since 2003!

I bought my first flat in 2003. Sold it last year for almost exactly double.

[PoleKing]

All that is well and good but to not put your price up in 10 YEARS is ludicrous!

EVERYTHING has gone up since 2004. EVERYTHING!!!

I've got a few places that I've not put up in 11 years.
Im still more expensive than if someone else would quote now (I know this, not guessing)
Everything has gone up since 04 yes but if you're still pulling in £30, £40, £50, £60 p/h what's the problem.
It's each to their own

[Soupy]

Im still more expensive than if someone else would quote now (I know this, not guessing)
Everything has gone up since 04 yes but if you're still pulling in £30, £40, £50, £60 p/h what's the problem.
It's each to their own

If you were getting £X per hour in 2003 and you haven't turned that into £X+inflation you have effectively given yourself a pay cut.

[roundbuilder]

Soupy you of all people id have thought would understand!

The average window cleaner would charge for front only cleans is say £5 on houses where if customer is home the whole house would be £10 or in scotland maybe £3 front amd £6 whole house.
My business plan was to mainly target houses with no rear access on busy roads with double yellow lines and parking restrictions as i worked out £60 ph min every hour wouldnt matter if i got 1 or even 2 tickets a day however luckily in the last year i have only had 1. anyway getting back on subject i targeted houses i wanted and charged £10 a pop for a front and can do 6-8 of them an hour sometimes upto 12 depending how many on a certain patch so £60 per hour min each hour i work! Put that against doing everyday houses at £10 for a full house doing only 3-5 an hour with the grief of trailing hose everywhere, climbing gates, through garages through houses even etc etc then for the 10 years of someone putting there prices up 50p a year in 10 years my prices for the fronts will still be top earners compared to f+b fronts and id still earn more than if i was doing houses at £20 front that id charge in 2024.

8 fronts only properties an hour £80 what i built up
4 houses an hour £40 how i used to do it.

I simply have no need to up any of my front only prices,
For the front and back jobs i do i will be putting the prices up which i do every few years.
Fact being though compared to how i used to have my business to how i have rebuilt it the last 2.5 years im top of the game(my game). So defo not flawed advice just out of the ordinary that has and will work out for me for many years to come.

[A & J Owen Window Cleaning]

hi kev you ok
depends when you did a last increase iwould say £2 a year. taking in consideration of tools and petrol costs.

[Soupy]

To assume that your hourly rate will still be OK for 10 YEARS makes no sense. No matter what that hourly rate might be.

[roundbuilder]

Soupy whats your average price you clean in scotland for a average sized terraced house??

[roundbuilder]

To assume that your hourly rate will still be OK for 10 YEARS makes no sense. No matter what that hourly rate might be.

Of course it will be ok. If not id put them up but do the maths 50p a year or a quid every 2 years for a £5 front would be in 10 years time £10 would it not??.

[8weekly]

To assume that your hourly rate will still be OK for 10 YEARS makes no sense. No matter what that hourly rate might be.

Of course it will be ok. If not id put them up but do the maths 50p a year or a quid every 2 years for a £5 front would be in 10 years time £10 would it not??.

But it is a £10 front now. Why plan for it to be a £10 front for the foreseeable future. Instead that £10 front will be £15 in a few years time and those that can afford £10 now will be able to afford £15 in 10 years because their income will have risen. However, if you do as you plan your income will have fallen. 

Seriously Mick, I don't wish to be rude at all. I am just trying to point out to you that your thinking on this is not very wise in financial terms.

[Soupy]

Soupy whats your average price you clean in scotland for a average sized terraced house??

How much I charge per house is irrelevant. We aim for x amount per hour. Ten years ago x was less, in ten years time x will be more.

[Soupy]

Of course it will be ok. If not id put them up but do the maths 50p a year or a quid every 2 years for a £5 front would be in 10 years time £10 would it not??.

Not sure I follow that, I think what you are saying is that you are charging £10 for a job that should be £5? Fair enough, but like 8weekly said if that person sees £10 as an affordable price now, in 10 years time you could be charging more.

[Don Kee]

To assume that your hourly rate will still be OK for 10 YEARS makes no sense. No matter what that hourly rate might be.

Of course it will be ok. If not id put them up but do the maths 50p a year or a quid every 2 years for a £5 front would be in 10 years time £10 would it not??.

What they're saying mate is at the moment you're prices are great.
Ahead of the competition
But by keeping your prices the same for 10 years (if you wait that long) you'll no longer be ahead, you'll fall in line....
Then if you put your prices up you'll still be inline as they would be putting there prices up as they would have done for the previous 10 years...
In other words, if your pricing well now, then if you put your prices up they'll always be good prices....

I have to agree with them aswell to be honest, ita simple maths really

[Klean07]

hi kev you ok
depends when you did a last increase iwould say £2 a year. taking in consideration of tools and petrol costs.

Hi Jen,
Yes that sounds about right.

[roundbuilder]

If i want to up the prices i will but what im saying is if you price right at the start then the future will bliss. Im not saying i wont up my prices im saying that technically i wont need to.  Lets be honest guys who have been going over 10 years. In 2004 im guessing your prices werent much lower than they are today, prob a £3/4 difference.
When i first did commercial i could pretty much charge what i liked where as now it is so cut throat that im best off on my domestics. With the more and more new starters and the under charging that happens and the any house any size for £5 brigades i dont see prices shooting up that much to realy make much of a difference and if they do then i will be on it as i dont plan on ever being a busy fool. Made many many mistakes in this game that all imcan do now is build and learn from them.

[Soupy]

My average price is more than 50% more than it was 10 years ago.

In 2004 fuel was 80p a litre. Houses were affordable. Window cleaners were cheap.

[PoleKing]

Im still more expensive than if someone else would quote now (I know this, not guessing)
Everything has gone up since 04 yes but if you're still pulling in £30, £40, £50, £60 p/h what's the problem.
It's each to their own

If you were getting £X per hour in 2003 and you haven't turned that into £X+inflation you have effectively given yourself a pay cut.

You are 100% correct but 10 years ago I was happy at £50per hour. I still am today.
Yes, taking into account inflation, I have taken a pay cut.
Overall compared to 10 years ago I'm nigh on double what I was.
I'm genuinely happy (in life and with that)
For me, and I'm not advocating it for anyone else, I'm working 4 days a week, easier days than ever before. Making more money than all but 1 of my friends, enough to support my wife & kids and give them not only a good financial life but enough time with them too.
I could make more money but it would be to our collective detriment.
That's not to willy wave or advocate my lifestyle, just that I'm happy with the money I earn. An extra few quid on a job would have literally no effect on positive effect on my life.
It really is horses for courses when it comes to jobs IMO.

[Joey Eastwood]

£10 for a one up one down terrace front, and £10 for a front with 15windows... So the people In the tiny house are
paying 7.5times per Window more than the people in the big posh house.. Ridiculous. Say what you like £10 a terrace front is extortion expecially because of the fact you charge a house 7times bigger the same.

[PoleKing]

£10 for a one up one down terrace front, and £10 for a front with 15windows... So the people In the tiny house are
paying 7.5times more than the people in the big posh house.. Ridiculous. Say what you like £10 a terrace front is extortion expecially because of the fact you charge a house 7times bigger the same.

But Joey, what a lot of people are missing is the fact that customer pays.
They are free to cancel whenever they like.
If the 1 up 1 down isn't happy-they'd just bin mick.

[roundbuilder]

Joey, as long as it takes less than 10 mins to clean then wether 1 window or 15 im happy to charge £10 if just a front.
I spend more time moving from front to back with climbing or going down alleyways etc than cleaning an extra few windows.
I learnt from this forum from ian giles a good 3/4 years ago to aim for £1 a minute and thats what i did.
Im not being extortionate at all as all my customers are happy. Everyone is a winner.